Ship&#39;s log.



No. 65I,260. Patented June 5, |900.

- A. N. MGGRAY.

SHIPS LOG.

(Application filed 0M, 24, 1899.)

l(No Model.) 2 Sheeisr-Shet I.

No. 65|,26o. Patented'xune 5, |900. A.N. MCGHAY.

(Application filed Oct. 24, 18994) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

WITNEEEEE Mmm-u UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR N. MCGRY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHIPS LOG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 651,260, dated June 5,1900.

Application tiled October 24, 1899. Serial No. 734,676. (No model.) i

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR N. MCGRAY, of Boston, in the county ofSuffolk, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented a new andefficient Electrically-Operated Ships Log, of which the following is aspecioation.

The object of my invention is to obtain a ships log that will open andclose an electric circuit between the log and the vessel while the logis being drawn through the water by the vessel to which the log isconnected by a long cable, the purpose of which is to operate devices ormechanisms on board of the vessel to record and indicate the time anddistance the vessel has traveled, which l attain in the followingmanner.

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of my invention, and Fig. 2 isa diagram illustrating my invention in electrical circuit with amechanism on board of a vessel to indicate and record the time anddistance the vessel has traveled.

A represents the cylindrical shell of my log, which is made up orconsists of the association of the following portions: the back endportion a, which is provided with the shaftpassage d', the shaft-bearingrecess a2, and the rod-guide pocket a3; the intermediate portion a4,which is provided with the opening a5 through its side for the purposeto admit examination of the interior of the log, the left-hand end ofthis portion being brazed ixedly to the end of the back end portion inthe manner as shown in Fig. l; the front end portion a6, which isprovided with the internal threaded portions a7 and as and the flared orbeaded end a9, the left-hand end of the front end portion and theright-hand end of the intermediate portion butting each other and beingbrazed ixedly to the partition portion, as clearly shown in Fig. l,which will be fully described hereinafter, and the back end outercovering portion d10 and the front end outer covering portion ct, whichrespectively cover the ends of the back end portion, the intermediateportion, and the front end portion, and to which the said outer coveringportions are brazed for the purpose to attain a strong and stiff logshell or case. The inner ends of these outer covering portions are apartfrom each other, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, ,for the purpose to admitthe placing as to prevent the log-inspecting portion contacting the vanefor the purpose of attaining an eiicient rotary or otherwise movement ofthe inspecting portion, as may be desired.

B denotes the log cable, which passes through the end of the front endportion of the lo'g and has its end firmly secured tothe vertical diskC. This disk is provided with the arm c and has firmly secured theretothe electric contactoint c which is insulated' from the disk in thefollowing manner:

c2 represents a non conductivev washer which is designed to partiallypass through-A` the disk, and o3 is a similar washer designed to contactthe disk on the opposite sidel of the disk relatively opposite thefirst-mentioned washer. Through these washers passes the stem of thescrew c4, that enters in the contact-point in threaded engagementtherewith and positions firmly the contact-point by being drawn againstthe non-conductive washer, and it (the washer) against the disk, and theopposite Washer in like vmanner by the turning of the screw, which whenthe contact-point is firmly positioned is set so as to not turn andbecome ixed. Tol the diskarm is f ulcrumed or pivoted the lever c5, theupper arm of which is provided with the nonconductive cap c6 at its end,and the lower arm contacts the disk contact-point.

c7 denotes a spring which has its ends respectively connected toy thelower arm of the lever and to the disk for the purpose to keep thelowerarm against the contact-point.

o8 and c9 are electric wires. The for-mer is connected to the disk, andthe latter is con- 'nected to the contact-point. These wires areproperly insulated and pass through the 10gcable for its entire length.

D represents rubber packing which is designed to surround the log-cableand used to IOO prevent water entering within the log at its front end.This rubber packing is slipped or passed onto the cable until itsvertical end contacts the disk. Then the opposite end of the cable ispassed through the end of the front end of the log and drawn throughuntil the conical end ot' the rubber packing engages the conical sidesof the front end of the loO. Then the threaded ring d is turned inthreaded engagement with the front end log portion, as shown, by whichthe disk is caused to force inward and compress the rubber packing insuch a manner that the several parts contacting the 'rubber packing arefirmly gripped and this interior end of the log efficiently packed.

E denotes an outside covering used to insure against Water entering thefront end of the log. The ends of this covering are respectively securedto the cable and to the end ofthe log, as shown in Fig. l.

F represen ts a vertical dislgandfa threaded ring in threaded engagementwith similar threads provided on the front end log portion abovereferred to, and f rubber packing fitted in the annular shoulder f2 ofthe front end'portion of the log. This vertical disk is provided withthe vbeaded projection f3 and the rod-opening f4 and is forced hardagainst the rubber packing to effect the impossibility of water enteringthe chamber G.

The partition portion II of the log-case is provided with the beadedprojection 7L, the rod-guide opening 7L', andreverse-threadedscrew-shaft bearing 7b2.

I denotes the horizontal lever-actuating rod, which is supported andguided by the pocket a3 in the'back end portion, the partition portionof the log, and the disk F, and which has secured to its right-hand endthe nonconductive tip t'. Y

t and '112 are rubber sleeves which have their respective endsefficiently secured to the actuating rod and to the respective beadedprojections on the log-partition and disk portions above mentioned, soas to efficiently prevent water passing through the rod-openings h andf4.

fig represents a collar which is fixed to the lever-actuating rod nearits right-hand end.

.I denotes a spring which has one end connected to the vertical wall ofthe log-back end portion and the other end connected to theactuating-rod, the purpose of which is to keep the actuating-rod out ofcontact with the lever c5 when the rod is not being actuated by thereverse-threaded-screw-shaft finger-carriage, (represented by the letterK.) This carriage is loosely tted tothe lever-actuating rod, so as tofreely move back and forward thereon.v

k denotes the Worm-linger, which meshes with the screw-shaft threads andis movably' fitted to the carriage.

L represents a lignum-Vitre ball-bearing bushing which is fitted intheshaft-bearing recess of the back end portion of the log-case in a fixedmanner.

M denotes antifriction-balls, and N a lignumvitze collar tixedly securedto the wormshaft. This collar has the reduced portion n, which, togetherwith the inner surface of t-he bushing, produces the antifriction-ballrace- Way W.

O represents the 'reverse-threaded screws shaft, which is supported atone end by the ball-bearing just described and at the other end bythebearing provided on the partition portion of the log-case. To the outerend of the screw-shaft is rigidly secured the eye o.

o' denotes the threads on the shaft.

P represents a rotator, and 19 the rotatorrope, which has one endsecured to the rotator and the other end secured to the eye of thereversethreaded screw-shaft, as is shown in the drawings, Fig. 2.

In the diagram Fig. 2, l represents batteries in the electric circuit ofthe log. 2 denotes the vessel, and 3 an electrically-actuated mechanismon board of the vessel in electrical circuit with the log for thepurpose to indicate and record the time and distance the vessel hastraveled.

I will now describe the use and operation of the log. Vhile the vesselis traveling the log is cast overboard and allowed to free the stern ofthe vessel for about two hundred and 'fifty or three hundred feet and isdrawn through the water by being secured to the end of a cable let outfrom on board the vessel to which the other end of the cable is secured.As soon as the log becomes drawn through the water its rotator revolvesand the rotator revolves the rotator-rope, and it in turn rotates thereverse-threaded screw-shaf t of the log, and the screw-shaft moves thescrew-sl1aft-inger carriage on. its guideway, the direction of themovement of which is shown in Fig. l to be toward the front of the logabout to contact the dog or collaron the lever-actuating rod, which alsoacts as the carriage-guide\vay. As the carriage is further moved forwardit contacts the collar and moves forward the lever-actuatin g rod, whichso contacts the circuit breaking and closing lever as to cause its lowerarm to swing out of contact with the electric contact-point. This breaksthe circuit between the log and the mechanisms on board the vessel,which causes the electrically-operated mechanisms to operate in such amanner to record the time the circuit was broken and to indicate thedistance the vessel has traveled-the purpose for which they aredesigned. In the meantime the carriage is caused to move in the oppositedirection by the screw-shaft, owin g to the threads being right and lefthanded thereon, as is shown in Fig. l, and the actuating-rod is drawnback simultaneously` by thespring connected thereto, which frees thecircuit-lever, so as to close the circuit again until broken by thereturn of the carriage, which IOO has to travel near the entire lengthof the screw-shaft and return before the circuit is again broken. Thedistance that the carriage has to travel before it breaks the circuit ismeasured in time to either equal one-eighth, one-tenth, or one-twelfthof a mile that the vessel has traveled or any fractional part of a mile,as the log may be designed for-that is to say, the dist-ance that thecarriage travels before it again breaks the circuit is equal to afractional part of a mile that the vessel has traveled.

The course of the electric current is from the vessel through theindicating and recording mechanisms, along the electric wire through thelog-towin g cable that protects the wire, through the disk-circuitlever-supporting arm over the circuit-lever, and through thecontact-point and over the return-Wire to its point of beginning.` Bothelectric wires pass through and are protected by the towing-cable, andthe course of the electric current may be the opposite to that justdescribed without making any material difference in its action.

Q and G represent herm etically-sealed compartments or chambers, thepurpose of which is to prevent water entering the chamber G, and thusshort-circuiting the electrical connections.

R denotes the revcrse-threaded-screw-shaft chamber.

Having described my invention, I claiml. A ships log comprising anelectrical circuit-breaker, a reverse-threaded screw-shaft revolving bya rotator, and means in contact with said screw-shaft for actuating thesaid circuit-breaker.

2. A ships log comprising an electrical circuit-breaker, areverse-threaded screw-shaft revolving by a rotator, and means incontact with said screw-shaft for actuating the said circuit-breaker,and the log-casing designed to prevent short-circuiting of the partswithin.

3. A ships log consisting of a cylindrical shell having steadying-vanes,a towing-cable firmly secured -to the front end of the log, twohermetically sealed compartments in the front end of the log, aspring-pressed circuit breaking and closing lever and a contactpointsupported and positioned in electrical association with each otherwithin the first front-end compartment, two insulated electric wireswithin the towing-cable for its entire length, one Wire in circuit with`the Vcircuit breaking and closing lever, andthe other Wire in circuitwith the contact-point, and the wires, the lever, and the contact-pointefficiently insulated from the other parts of the log, means inoperative association with a reverse-threaded screw-shaft and theinterior of the log-shell adapted to swing the circuit breaking andclosing lever out of contact with the contact-point, a reverse-threadedscrewshaft, and suitable bearings to support the reverse-threadedscrew-shaft, and a rotator efficiently secured to the outside end of thereverse threaded screw-shaft, substantially as, and for the purposedescribed.

4. A ships log consisting of a cylindrical shell having steadying-vanes,a towing-cable firmly secured to the front end of the log, twohermetically sealed compartments in the front end of the log, aspring-controlled circuit breaking and closing lever and a contactpointsupported and positioned in electrical association with each otherWithin the first front-end compartment, two insulated electric wireswithin the towing-cable for its entire length, one wire in circuit withthe circuit breaking and closing lever, and the other wire in circuitwith the contact-point, and the Wires, the lever, and the contact-pointefiiciently insulated from the other parts of the log, a horizontal rodsupported in guideways and passing through the vertical walls of thehermetically-sealed compartments, and having its end close to andopposite the arm of the circuit breaking and closing lever, and anon-conductive cap fitted to said end of the rod, flexible andwaterproof sleeves having their ends respectively hermetically securedto the said Walls and to the horizontal rod, a spring connected to thelog-shell and to the rod so as to make the normal position of the rodout of contact with the circuit breaking and closing lever, ashipping-collar secured to said rod,a carriage, a carriage-guideway, areverse-threaded-screw shaft finger movably fitted to the carriage andin mesh with a reverse-threaded screw-shaft, the reversethreadedscrew-shaft, suitable bearings provided on the log-case to support thereversethreaded screw-shaft, and a rotator efficiently secured to theoutside end of the reversethreaded screw-shaft, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof l have hereunto set my hand to this applicationthis 21st day of October, 1899.

ARTHUR` N. MCGRAY. Witnesses: Y Trios. WILLIAM HOBDAY, HIRAM M. BURTON.

